Waterproofing wooden tip downs?

[mistertwister]

Hey fellow hard water walkers...I'm just about finished building my tip downs, and I'm wondering what if any recommendations you have for waterproofing/sealing the wood? I bought linseed oil originally but I wasn't sure if that would be good, now I have some Tung Oil which I know would work but I hear it is a pain to work with (especially because I am a total rookie with woodworking). Any suggestions on what to use? I would like these to last and am afraid of the wood warping from getting wet etc.

[hardwater diehard]

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior/minwax-polycrylic-protective-finish

Did mine with this ...small can did plenty

[Baetis62]

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior-exterior/minwax-helmsman-spar-urethane

I've been using this stuff in the spray can.  Easy to work with and the results are good.  2 or 3 thin coats with light sanding between seems to work best.

[esox_xtm]

Tung (Danish) oil is not much different to work with than linseed (now that is messy). Tung dries faster and much harder than linseed. If you used "pretty" wood and it were me I'd go the oil route. I just looks that much nicer on nice wood. Just wipe on a few coats letting each one dry at least overnight in a warm place (like not outside).

I've used this to refinish gunstocks and won't use anything else. Polyurethane might be tough but looks glossy cheap to me. Tung holds up amazingly well in wet weather, not getting "white" like linseed can. Really no cleanup here; wipe on with a clean soft cloth and toss it when you're done. Either wear rubber gloves (just to keep your hands from getting sticky) or plan on wiping them with mineral spirits when you're finished.

If you looking for a non-oil finish go with a marine spar or poly varnish. Both great in wet conditions and both easy to apply, just brush 'em on. Clean up is usually mineral spirits (paint thinner). Again, if you used pretty wood, varnishes will scratch and look ugly until you sand and recoat. You will have to do the whole piece to get a nice finish again. That's another plus for oil. Scratches don't show much and a little steel wool, hit with some oil and everything blends right in.

[mistertwister]

Thanks for the replies...I used pine to make them, I was thinking at one point to just paint them but I prefer the natural look. I've heard that Tung can smell pretty bad as it dries (just thinking if I used it the wife would be complaining) but maybe the smell doesn't last all that long? At this point in the year I'm going to have to dry them in our basement. I was thinking of just using fishing line to hang them to dry.

[Idahogator]

Something that penetrates deeply on the first coat is Thompson's Water Seal.

Re coating is easy at any time in later years.

More info HERE

[esox_xtm]

Just about anything will have an "aroma" as it dries. I happen to like the smell of tung; it is certainly much less objectionable than, say, nail polish remover  . Or a nasty cat box. Or oven cleaner. You get the drift..... We have a set of black walnut TV trays my Dad made many years ago. They're finished in tung and when the tops would get a little worn I was told to fix them. That meant right there in the living room they would get set up, tops wiped at least once, sometimes twice, let 'em dry right there and put 'em away the next day. She never squeaked about the smell, she just wanted it done.

As long as you're stuck inside anything is gonna smell. Good luck!

[UFCreel]

As a painter for over 30 years go with the marine varnish. Get the gloss. It holds up better. Do a couple of coats. If scratches happen and they will. Lightly sand and recoat. Poly works well too.

[Ice Scratcher]

Tung (Danish) oil is not much different to work with than linseed (now that is messy). Tung dries faster and much harder than linseed. If you used "pretty" wood and it were me I'd go the oil route. . Scratches don't show much and a little steel wool, hit with some oil and everything blends right in.

With an oil finish people say how nice the wood looks, with poly they say how nice the finish looks..

Good stuff..

<°)))>{

[JonPerry]

 boiled linseed oil is what I use for anything left outside in the elements.

[Chris338378]

I've use polyurathane on my tip-ups for years and don't have any complaints.  I put two coats on them and it gives them a nice waterproof finish that lasts a long time.  If you want you can get it with stain in it or different finishes such as gloss or semi-gloss.  Either way it looks good and holds up really well.

[caught_the_fever]

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interior-exterior/minwax-helmsman-spar-urethane

I've been using this stuff in the spray can.  Easy to work with and the results are good.  2 or 3 thin coats with light sanding between seems to work best.

x2

[Duke M]

I used two coats of spar varnish. I thinned the first coat with turpentine to get good penetration, then a second coat after the first dried. They look like new 4 years later.

Duke

[esox_xtm]

With an oil finish people say how nice the wood looks, with poly they say how nice the finish looks..

Good stuff..

<°)))>{

That's good  and there's a good amount of truth in that. I just recoated my rifle stock earlier this year (tung) after not having touched it in at least 8-9 years. Started on it in the late 80's. Scraped the poly off and wet to work with tung.

Funny thing. Today, after having hunted in wet conditions for the past 4 days, that stock and finish looks fabulous. Tung dries hard, much harder than linseed. When you get "enough" on it begins to create the finish. I'd put the look up against poly, it would just take a lot (A LOT) longer to achieve.